FR Doc 04-15408
[Federal Register: July 7, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 129)]
[Notices]
[Page 40882-40886]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr07jy04-65]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview
Information; Research and Innovation To Improve Services and Results
for Children With Disabilities--Center on Standards and Assessment
Development; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal
Year (FY) 2004
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.324U
Dates: Applications Available: July 7, 2004.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 9, 2004.
Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs); local
educational agencies (LEAs); institutions of higher education (IHEs);
other public agencies; nonprofit private organizations; outlying areas;
freely associated States; and Indian tribes or tribal organizations.
Estimated Available Funds: $1,000,000.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $1,000,000 for a single budget period of 12 months.
The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services may change the maximum amount through a notice published in
the Federal Register.
Number of Awards: 1.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to produce, and
advance the use of, knowledge to improve the results of education and
early intervention for infants, toddlers, and children with
disabilities.
Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority
is from allowable activities specified in the statute (see sections
661(e)(2) and 672 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,
as amended (IDEA)).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2004 this priority is an absolute
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that
meet this priority.
This priority is:
Research and Innovation to Improve Services and Results for
Children with
[[Page 40883]]
Disabilities--Center on Standards and Assessment Development.
Background: Alternate assessments based on alternate achievement
standards present a number of challenges for States. For example,
questions have arisen concerning the best methods for aligning
alternate achievement standards with grade-level academic content
standards, maximizing access to the general curriculum, developing and
administering technically sound alternate assessments, and determining
cut scores on assessments that reflect expectations that are high but
attainable. Similarly, alternate assessments based on grade-level
achievement standards present challenges, such as determining the
degree to which such alternate assessments measure grade-level
standards with equivalent rigor to the general assessments.
Failure to meet these challenges will have compliance implications
both for the approval of State standards and assessments under the No
Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) (which must be approved by the
2005-2006 school year), and compliance with provisions of the IDEA
regarding alternate assessments and access to the general curriculum.
However, educational reform is not a static process, and States may
continue to examine and improve their assessments and accountability
systems beyond meeting the requirements of Federal laws. Thus, there
will be a continued need for federally supported development and
technical assistance to support States in identifying and implementing
evidence-based best practices to ensure that alternate achievement
standards and alternate assessments are technically sound and
universally designed to be accessible for the widest possible range of
students.
Priority: This priority supports one cooperative agreement for a
center (Center) to support States in developing, implementing, and
improving alternate achievement standards aligned to grade-level
content standards, alternate assessments based on alternate achievement
standards, and alternate assessments based on grade-level achievement
standards.
The Center's activities must have two phases, with phase one in
years 1 and 2 of the project and phase two in years 3 through 5. Some
activities occur in both phases. Required activities and their phases
are as follows:
Activity 1--Phase 1: Convene and support expert work groups to
summarize extant data and other information, identify and discuss
critical issues, identify promising and best practices, and produce
reports and recommendations on specific topics. During the first
project year, the Center must convene an expert work group to produce
guidelines and procedures aimed at ensuring the technical quality of
alternate assessments. Additional required topics to be addressed by
expert work groups during the first two project years include:
Methodologies and principles for aligning alternate achievement
standards with grade-level academic content standards; best practices
for developing and administering alternate assessments based on
alternate achievement standards; and best practices for developing and
administering alternate assessments based on grade-level achievement
standards.
Activity 2--Phases 1 and 2: Convene on an annual basis an advisory
committee representing key perspectives and stakeholder groups,
including professionals working in special education, assessment, and
Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as
amended; and parents and individuals with disabilities. The primary
purposes of this advisory committee are to review and advise on the
plans for activities 3 through 5 and to provide liaison with
significant stakeholder groups.
Activity 3--Phases 1 and 2: Coordinate with other technical
assistance and dissemination resources to provide technical assistance
and information to States in improving and implementing (1) alternate
achievement standards aligned to grade-level achievement standards, (2)
alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards and on
grade-level achievement standards, and (3) approaches to using
alternate assessments in improving educational outcomes and access to
the general curriculum.
Activity 4--Phase 2: Conduct research on the characteristics of
alternate achievement standards and alternate assessments implemented
in States, and their impact on student learning and access to the
general curriculum.
Activity 5--Phase 2: Conduct development and demonstration projects
with a small number of States on improving and implementing (a)
alternate achievement standards aligned to grade-level achievement
standards, (b) alternate assessments based on alternate achievement
standards and on grade-level achievement standards, and (c) approaches
to using alternate assessments in improving educational outcomes and
access to the general curriculum. To the extent possible, States should
be selected to be broadly representative of size, socio-cultural
factors, educational system characteristics, etc. Applicants are
encouraged to provide evidence of potential State cooperation in these
activities.
Additional Activities--Phases 1 and 2: (a) Maintain regular
communication with staff of the U.S. Department of Education to obtain
input and approval of project plans.
(b) Budget for a two-day Project Directors' meeting in Washington,
DC during each year of the project.
(c) If the project has a Web site, include relevant information and
documents in an accessible form on the project's Web site.
Fourth and Fifth Years of Project
In deciding whether to continue this project for the fourth and
fifth years, the Secretary will consider the requirements of 34 CFR
75.253(a), and in addition--
(a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of experts
selected by the Secretary which review will be conducted during the
last half of the project's second year in Washington, DC. Projects must
budget for the travel associated with this one-day intensive review;
(b) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of
the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are being met by the
Center; and
(c) The degree to which the project's design and methodology
demonstrates the potential for advancing significant new knowledge.
Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking
Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the
Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to
comment on proposed priorities. However, section 661(e)(2) of the IDEA
makes the public comment requirements inapplicable to the priorities in
this notice.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1461, 1472.
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81,
82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to IHEs only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement.
Available Funds: $1,000,000.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $1,000,000 for a single budget period of 12 months.
The Assistant
[[Page 40884]]
Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services may change
the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
Number of Awards: 1.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs; LEAs; IHEs; other public agencies;
nonprofit private organizations; outlying areas; freely associated
States; and Indian tribes or tribal organizations.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost
sharing or matching.
3. Other: General Requirements--(a) The projects funded under this
notice must make positive efforts to employ and advance in employment
qualified individuals with disabilities (see section 606 of the IDEA).
(b) Applicants and grant recipients funded under this notice must
involve individuals with disabilities or parents of individuals with
disabilities in planning, implementing, and evaluating the projects
(see section 661(f)(1)(A) of the IDEA).
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll
free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free):
1-877-576-7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html
or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.324U.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the Grants and Contracts
Services Team listed under For Further Information Contact in section
VII of this notice.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package for this competition. Page
Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) is where
you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use
to evaluate your application. You must limit Part III to the equivalent
of no more than 70 pages, using the following standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II,
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part
IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the
resumes, the bibliography, the references, or the letters of support.
However, you must include all of the application narrative in Part III.
We will reject your application if--
You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the
page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: July 7, 2004.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 9, 2004. The dates
and times for the transmittal of applications by mail or by hand
(including a courier service or commercial carrier) are in the
application package for this competition. The application package also
specifies the hours of operation of the e-Application Web site.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Instructions and requirements for
the transmittal of applications by mail or by hand (including a courier
service or commercial carrier) are in the application package for this
competition.
Application Procedures:
Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for
transmitting applications differ from those in EDGAR (34 CFR
75.102). Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the
Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to
comment on proposed regulations. However, these amendments make
procedural changes only and do not establish new substantive policy.
Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined
that proposed rulemaking is not required.
Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications: We are
continuing to expand our pilot project for electronic submission of
applications to include additional formula grant programs and
additional discretionary grant competitions. The Special Education--
Research and Innovation to Improve Services and Results for Children
with Disabilities Program--Center on Standards and Assessment
Development competition--CFDA Number 84.324U is one of the competitions
included in this project. If you are an applicant under the Special
Education--Research and Innovation to Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities Program--Center on Standards and Assessment
Development competition, you may submit your application to us in
either electronic or paper format.
The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant
Application System (e-Application). If you use e-Application, you will
be entering data online while completing your application. You may not
e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us. If you
participate in this voluntary pilot project by submitting an
application electronically, the data you enter online will be saved
into a database. We request your participation in e-Application. We
shall continue to evaluate its success and solicit suggestions for its
improvement.
If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
Your participation is voluntary.
When you enter the e-Application system, you will find
information about its hours of operation. We strongly recommend that
you do not wait until the application deadline date to initiate an e-
Application package.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit a grant application in electronic format, nor will we penalize
you if you submit an application in paper format.
You may submit all documents electronically, including the
Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary
assurances and certifications.
Your e-Application must comply with any page limit
requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an
[[Page 40885]]
automatic acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award number (an
identifying number unique to your application).
Within three working days after submitting your electronic
application, fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal Education
Assistance (ED 424) to the Application Control Center after following
these steps:
1. Print ED 424 from e-Application.
2. The institution's Authorizing Representative must sign this
form.
3. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the
hard copy signature page of the ED 424.
4. Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at (202)
245-6272.
We may request that you give us original signatures on
other forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System
Unavailability: If you elect to participate in the e-Application pilot
for the Special Education--Research and Innovation to Improve Services
and Results for Children with Disabilities Program--Center on Standards
and Assessment Development competition and you are prevented from
submitting your application on the application deadline date because
the e-Application system is unavailable, we will grant you an extension
of one business day in order to transmit your application
electronically, by mail, or by hand delivery. We will grant this
extension if--
1. You are a registered user of e-Application, and you have
initiated an e-Application for this competition; and
2. (a) The e-Application system is unavailable for 60 minutes or
more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application deadline date; or
(b) The e-Application system is unavailable for any period of time
during the last hour of operation (that is, for any period of time
between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time) on the
application deadline date.
We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to
confirm our acknowledgement of any system unavailability, you may
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under For
Further Information Contact (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
GRANTS help desk at 1-888-336-8930.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Special
Education--Research and Innovation to Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities Program--Center on Standards and Assessment
Development competition at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
V. Application Review Information
Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are
listed in 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR. The specific selection criteria to be
used for this competition are in the application package.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a
final performance report, including financial information, as directed
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an
annual performance report that provides the most current performance
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in
34 CFR 75.118.
4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and
Results Act (GPRA), the Department is currently developing indicators
and measures that will yield information on various aspects of the
quality of the Research and Innovation to Improve Services and Results
for Children with Disabilities program. Included in these indicators
and measures will be those that assess the quality and relevance of
newly funded research projects. Two indicators will address the quality
of new projects. First, an external panel of eminent senior scientists
will review the quality of a randomly selected sample of newly funded
research applications, and the percentage of new projects that are
deemed to be of high quality will be determined. Second, because much
of the Department's work focuses on questions of effectiveness, newly
funded applications will be evaluated to identify those that address
causal questions and then to determine what percentage of those
projects use randomized field trials to answer the causal questions. To
evaluate the relevance of newly funded research projects, a panel of
experienced education practitioners and administrators will review
descriptions of a randomly selected sample of newly funded projects and
rate the degree to which the projects are relevant to practice.
Other indicators and measures are still under development in areas
such as the quality of project products and long-term impact. Data on
these measures will be collected from the projects funded under this
notice. Grantees will also be required to report information on their
projects' performance in annual reports to the Department (EDGAR, 34
CFR 75.590).
We will notify grantees of the performance measures once they are
developed.
VII. Agency Contact
For Further Information Contact: Dave Malouf, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4078, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7427.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request by contacting the following office: The Grants and
Contracts Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland
Avenue, SW., Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2550.
Telephone: (202) 205-8207.
VIII. Other Information
Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code
[[Page 40886]]
of Federal Regulations is available on GPO Access at:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.
Dated: June 30, 2004.
Troy R. Justesen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 04-15408 Filed 7-6-04; 8:45 am]
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